Why I Will Never Meet the Queen

When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry, all things royal were swirling around social media. What got my attention were the many ways Queen Elizabeth was to be treated, spoken to, including how to enter and exit her presence. I was an unabashed fan of all things royal when Lady Diana became Princess Diana, and I followed the ensuing drama of her life. She was 10 days my senior, and a few weeks after we both turned 20, I watched in the early morning hours on the East Coast of the U.S. as she married Prince Charles.

However, over the years I have become less starry-eyed of the pomp and circumstance around royalty, with the height of my malaise occurring after seeing magazine covers adorned by royal babies month after month. Sure, the kids are cute, but they are not any cuter than other non-royal kids. As I saw photo after photo of Princess Charlotte and Prince George, I recalled the cute pictures of my own children. All parents are proud of their children. Then something occurred to me, what makes these children more important than any other child?

For royal watchers and enthusiasts, I know I am not making any friends by saying this, but hear me out. Making someone more important than ourselves by virtue of their lineage and birth is not only a made-up level of importance, it is damaging and even dangerous. Think about it. How many offspring of George Washington went on to accomplish as much? What about Einstein? Bloodline doesn’t mean much when it comes to greatness. Just because one family won out over another hundreds of years ago, that doesn’t make every single one of them extraordinary. Some call it an X factor, that something unexplainable which certain people have that leads them to greatness.

The X factor for royals is their fan club. Somehow having a royal family is similar to having a rich uncle that everyone brags about at family gatherings. Nevermind that he doesn’t share any of the wealth with them, they have first dibs at the bragging rights.

When Princess Charlotte’s cherub face hits the news stand, we all are reduced to putty at her cuteness. And we don’t have to live under the monarchy to be fans. Her cuteness is not in question. Her exalted value as a human being is, at least by me.

While the official statement of the British Monarchy is that there are no set rules for meeting the Queen or other members of the Royal Family, it seems that old habits die hard. In July 2017, Canada’s Governor General touched the Queen’s elbow to help her as she walked down slippery stairs and the press ran with the news. It is often noted that visitors must back out of a room after meeting her because turning one’s back is considered rude. That, however, doesn’t apply to us regular folk.

The days of being burned at the stake or beheaded for pissing off a royal are well behind us, but the fact that as a society we hold any human being in value above another is troublesome. If we are willing to believe someone deserves more than others, we accept its opposite, that someone is less or deserves less than others.

This applies to religions as well. When we believe our religion is more important than another religious faith, we are creating a false sense of superiority. The same goes for race, color, sex, and national origin. The latest trends around the world towards nationalism fall into this category as well. The damage of societies believing they are superior to other societies is apparent in the wars that have been and are being fought around the globe.

So what does this have to do with cute royal babies and curtsying the Queen? The fundamental belief that any human being enjoys more value than another is a systemic and global problem. While the British Monarchy, like other monarchies, is enjoyed more for the pomp and circumstance, royal weddings and charity functions, it is a symbol of how we value human life.

There are reasons to admire and venerate those who have added value to this world, and there is nothing wrong with appreciating and respecting them for their accomplishments. At the same time, no human is more valuable than another. All humans have value. All humans deserve respect. When we understand this, and we stop holding one group above all others, then we will have greater peace.

If I were to meet the Queen, I would be respectful and polite. I would extend to her the same courtesy I would any other human being. I would be kind, and I would hope to have the kindness returned. In fact, I think I will start practicing for our meeting. No curtsying required. Only mutual respect.

Photo by Church of the King on Unsplash